Why And Why Not Google Edition Devices Is A Good Idea

The scenario of world mobile has been completely revived. The first Android smartphone G-1 was made by HTC and it was completely stock. But later on, some OEMs started to add skin overlay above the android and it was followed by every OEMs until now.

Birth of Google Edition Devices

From the beginning, only nexus devices came up with stock Android. What caught attention is that, when HTC and Samsung released the Google edition of their flagship devices? Google edition smartphones comes with Stock Android with very less additional applications. These devices are very close to Nexus devices in terms of software. Google Edition devices are now gaining extra attention due to the availability of two various versions of same device. However, the choice between stock android and OEM skinned version depends on personal taste. So, let’s take a look at some good and some not so good features of nexus edition devices.

The Pros

The biggest advantage of having Google edition device is that you don’t have to wait for updates. The android updates might not directly come from Google but they are pretty fast as compared to normal OEM device.

Another important thing is, you can experience the stock Android OS without any bloatware. Bloatware apps are those apps which are of no use and still comes pre-loaded in your device from OEM or career.

Google edition devices are completely unlock friendly. That means, users can root it without any tedious work.

The Cons

No OEM features is the biggest disadvantage of owning a Google edition android smartphone. You will definitely miss features like group messaging, camera filters, etc. The list of these features is so long that it is a major concern for some users. People often prefer stock android over OEM’s feature packed devices, just to avoid the additional bloatwares. However, current generation smart phones like Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC one are capable of handling all the tasks and apps perfectly.

Availability of Google edition devices is another major issue. These devices are only available in certain areas around the globe. Even Nexus devices are not available world-wide, but at least these Google edition devices could fill the void.

The main concern here is “what you want”? Features or updates? I would prefer updates because features are already available in play store as 3rd party apps. But still, its user perspective. So, Google edition devices are a good idea but up to a certain limit. The pricing and availability of the device is a big concern. Google should take care of OEMs so that they can deliver the updates at the right time.

Google has revised Jellybean to 3 times and focused to reduce the fragmentation spread in the Android world. The strategy seems to be working as Android Jelly Bean (4.1, 4.2 and 4.3) is now the most widely used Android version right now.

In upcoming days, other manufactures will also release Google Edition devices. It will be interesting to see how these devices hold the market against other flagship devices by giant manufacturers. Comment below and show us how you feel about these Google Edition devices.